LOST History Repeats off island
by The Lonely Shephard
Summary: The tale of the losties' children. a summer scene set in present time, about heartbreak, frienship, and getting through it all right.[Jacket, Skate. Sequel is planned]
1. Getting There

PROLOUGE—

"Wake up, Annie! I'm not gonna say it again!" Annie rolled over with a loud groan, letting her mother know she was awake, but she was going to take her time getting ready to leave. Hearing her younger brother stumble half-awake down the stairs, she knew she had to get up. She sat up, and pushed back her dark-brown hair with one hand, and stifled a yawn with another. Checking the alarm clock, she realized it was only 6:23 in the morning. They'd promised to let her sleep in until six thirty. Oh well, seven minutes wasn't going to kill her. She stood up, and headed for her honey-wood dresser, taking out a faded orange tank top and a pair of stone-washed jeans. As soon as she headed out the door, the overwhelming smell of bacon and waffles immediately woke her the rest of the way. Her mother looked up from zipping her suitcase. "Oh, good, you're finally up. Hurry and get dressed." Annie kept walking. As soon as she was dressed, she part-hopped, part-ran down the stairs, while also putting up her hair in a ponytail. She was known for multitasking. She promptly tripped over a football sitting in front of the entrance of the kitchen, but caught herself on the door-frame. "Nat! Pick this thing up, would you?" She called out. Kate glanced at her. "He and your father left to bring Tex and Hana to the boarder's." Tex was a huge, shaggy mutt they'd adopted four years ago, and Hana was Annie's American Shorthair cat. Was it that late? "Oh." Annie said, acknowledging her mother's existence for the first time in about a day. This was through a mouthful of eggs, as she sat and ate as quickly as she could. Her mother walked in somewhere between the second waffle and about halfway through her orange juice. "Hungry?" She asked, making a face. Annie put down her glass and carried her plate to the old, cranky dishwasher. "I'm done."

"Good, well, then, help me put these suitcases in the car." They were leaving for Kate and Sawyer Ford's anniversary. It would be a long, long road trip- Annie, her twelve-year old brother, Nathaniel, and her parents- all the way from Washington State to southern California. As soon as the suitcases were packed in the old Volvo, the dirty pickup-truck pulled up, and Nat hopped out, followed closely by a somewhat grumpy, only halfway awake Sawyer. "Ready to go?" He asked, opening the door to the packed car. "Ready as we'll ever be," responded Kate. Annie grabbed her blue backpack and slid in behind the driver's seat, and Nat jumped in on the other side. Before Annie even had the chance to plug in her Walkman, they were off.

Let me introduce our main characters before officially starting this story- in depth, so you'll really understand them.

Annie Ford- The first of the Ford children, sixteen for about two weeks when the story starts. Looks uncannily familiar- medium height, dark brown hair. She got her father's dark, soulful eyes and most of his solitary disposition. She has a killer attitude- but considering her parents, that's to be expected. She has a pretty dry sense of humor, but she's also smart, quick-thinking, and beneath it all, sensitive. She loves a good adventure, but is also pretty protective of her little brother. Orange is her favorite color and fruit, and she spends most of her time drowning out her chaotic family with country music.

Nathaniel Ford- The youngest of the Fords, and also the most 'normal', in the general sense of the word. Tall for his age, with a mop of dirty-blonde hair, green eyes, and, ironically, dotted with freckles. He's pretty quiet, and a little shy, but once he's comfortable in his surroundings is actually quite talkative. He likes to help people, and inherited the almost southern charm from his father. He's a sports fanatic, and spends a lot of time outside playing with Tex.

Tex- Not much to say here. Tex is a pretty easygoing dog, doesn't bark a lot, but does shed his share. He can tell if you're sick; he'll sit next to you and gaze up at you with a face so full of complete devotion that it'll bring tears to your eyes.

Hana- The normal cat disposition- lazy, vain. She likes to sleep on top of History, Algebra 2 and Chemistry books when Annie's trying to study, and hates country music when it's played loudly.

Brandon Sheppard - looks almost exactly like his father. He's pretty tall, at fifteen years old, and has brown hair. He got his mother's clear blue eyes. He's a gentle guy, pretty quiet, but still a brave and thoughtful one. He's pretty smart, but fortunately didn't inherit his father's somewhat unpredictable temper, trading it instead for a reserved sensitivity and a dash of secrecy from his mother. He plays some sport all year long, and just recently became a registered lifeguard. He likes to eat pizza, and is an All American Rejects fan.

Sarah Sheppard- Her dad in her mother's body. Sarah is a strong-minded, determined, and helpful child. She's Brandon's twin, although he's older by seventeen seconds. She has shoulder-length, straw-blonde hair, and her father's hazel eyes. She hates to let people down, is very hard on herself, and is a hopeless romantic. She has a secret stash of Twizzlers under her blankets, and is probably the world's biggest fan of Oasis.

Lillian, Rwanda, Dill and Tarzan- In order: Lillian is a young brown rabbit which lives with her brother, Dill, in a hatch behind the Sheppard's house. Rwanda is an ancient Irish setter, who's pretty much devoted to Brandon and follows him everywhere. Tarzan is a tiny, black and brown Chihuahua, named for his never-ceasing energy and strange antics.

Aaron- He's tall and handsome. He's blonde, like his mother Claire, but darker, and has her light blue eyes. He's talkative, organized, gentle- but he's not the smartest guy ever. He's a skilled soccer player, and is down to earth and usually calm. He's just become an Eagle Scout- so, coincidentally, not the most popular guy in school, although he is up there. He's nineteen and every bit his age. He takes great care of his single mother, loves to watch old movies, and is constantly doing something with his hands.


	2. Not What It Seemed

Annie awoke with a start, yawned and pulled out the plug to her Walkman, taking off her headphones. It was dark now, and the only other person awake in the car was Sawyer, who was driving. Kate was asleep with her head on the window, and Nat was leaning back on his seat and snoring loudly. "Hey, sweetheart. Hungry?" That was Sawyer. When he and Annie were alone, they got along great- she was almost entirely like him. She nodded. "Yeah, me too. Nat and your mom fell asleep a while ago, and that's maybe three hours. Guess I tired 'em out. I'll stop at some burger shack and bring the stuff into the car." Annie didn't feel the need to say anything, and she didn't want to wake up Kate and Nat. The old navy Volvo turned into a parking lot, and Sawyer stopped the car and tossed the keys back to Annie. He watched her for a minute as she fingered them. "What?" She asked, feeling uncomfortable. "Lock the car when I go." Annie nodded again, and Sawyer stepped out of the car. Annie obediently clicked the 'lock' button on the keys and waved at her dad's leather-clad back. That was when Kate woke up. "Huh? What? Its nine o'clock." It wasn't a question. "Yeah. Dad went in there to get something to eat." Kate only nodded, but the mention of food woke Nathaniel up. "What'd I miss?" Annie nudged him. "Nothing 'cept dinner." Nathaniel made a face. "Yeah, right." Kate rolled her eyes and stretched her stiff legs. "Where are we, mom?" That was Nathaniel again. As if Annie cared- she'd been to the Sheppard's summer house on the Californian coast before. This was the first time they'd be staying there without their parents, and Annie was looked forward to it. "On the outskirts of Medford." When Nathaniel gave her a puzzled look, she added, "We're almost out of Oregon." Sawyer re-opened the door with a plastic bag, Annie tossed him the keys and he started the car. "We can eat here." He said, opening up the bag. There were two burgers (Sawyer and Nat), a chicken salad (Annie), and a tuna-fish salad for Kate. They ate in relative silence, with a little small talk here and there. When everyone had finished, they put the trash back in the bag. Sawyer released the parking break, and Nat broke out into a chorus of '99 bottles of beer on the wall'. Annie thought about plugging her Walkman in, but seeing her parents smiling at Nat's silly song, instead joined in. By the time the four were tuckered out again, it was almost midnight.

It was evening the next day when they were approaching the ocean-house. Kate was in desperate need of a shower before she and Sawyer left the two kids with Jack and Juliet to head a few hundred miles away for their anniversary three weeks. Nat was pressing his forehead against the window and gazing out at the sea, which was just past the metal barrier on the side of the road. Kate was drumming her fingers along the edge of the seat, excited as usual to see Jack, and nervous as usual knowing she'd have to deal with Juliet. Sawyer was still driving, but he knew how nervous Kate was, and he glanced over at her a few times. Annie was unaware of her surroundings, thinking of seeing Sarah and Brandon again. They were all three best friends, and they had been for as long as they could remember. Sarah had been weird lately, since about last Christmas, but Brandon had been the same as always. At Christmas, they'd only stayed for a week, so they'd taken Tex with them. Nat would spend hours at the shore-line with Sarah, shell-hunting and building sand-castles, and Brandon and Annie would go out to the rockier part of the shore and look for animals caught in the rocks with Tex and Rwanda. Even now that they were older, it had become a tradition, almost, and it still provided great fun. Only, at Christmas last year, Sarah had been on a date. A date! Annie felt like gagging. Firstly, Sarah was fifteen. Secondly, it was Christmas. Well, the day before Christmas eve, anyhow. She'd missed the expedition all the same, and Nat had tagged along sulkily with Brandon and herself. It had been a gloomy week. She hoped it would be different this year. "We're here," Sawyer announced, turning on to a familiar gravel road. From here, you could see the old stucco house and the little private dock, and it became apparent that the Sheppards didn't live here year-round. The yellow stucco walls were overgrown with ivy, and the dripping gutters were rusted, but Annie loved the quaintness of the place. The car stopped, the door to the house opened and the family (lead by Rwanda and Tarzan) went out to greet the visitors. Jack and Sawyer shook hands, and Juliet and Kate exchanged a hesitant hug. Even after almost seventeen years, something didn't fit. Brandon clapped Nathaniel on the back, and Sara squeezed Annie until her head felt rather fuzzy. After the reunion, which lasted about ten minutes, Sawyer checked his watch. "We have to head out now." Kate hugged her children, Annie last. "Be good, you guys." Annie nodded. Before they were ready, their parents were gone- but neither of them was particularly upset. Nathaniel was patting Rwanda, and Sarah had picked up Tarzan; she and Annie were fussing over him. "Come on in, you guys must be starving." Jack said, motioning for them to step inside. The living room was a small room, the walls painted a claming shade of amber. There was a cozy fireplace in one corner, a coffee table in another (lined by chairs), and a faded leather couch on the side of one wall. The four kids squeezed onto the couch, talking excitedly until the call for dinner came. Annie took her usual seat next to Brandon and across from Nathaniel, who sat between Jack and Sarah. Juliet sat in-between Brandon and Sarah, as it had always been. Between bites of the roasted turkey, salad, and still-warm bread, Brandon and Annie talked about what had happened since they'd last seen each other. Brandon had a girlfriend: Gillian, he called her. For a moment this caused a twinge of jealousy in Annie, but she barely noticed it. He had changed to subject to his new Lifeguard license. Then it was Annie's turn, and she told him about how she worked some of the time at the animal shelter near the house, and how she and her friends were dreaming up starting an old animal's home once they got out of high school, even though both Sawyer and Kate insisted she go to college. As a sixteen year old, fairly good-looking girl, Annie had had her share of boyfriends. But most of them, upon picking her up to go for a movie or whatnot, were promptly scared off by a raging Sawyer, who was unable to face that his little girl was growing up. So, as of that time, she was boyfriend-less, not that she cared. Unlike most girls, boys didn't play a big role in her life.

Once dinner was over, the Ford children were pretty much exhausted. Brandon and Nat shared a room, which Nat was already asleep in, but the three older children stayed up a little later talking and swapping stories. When it was all said and done, Brandon left for his and Nat's room, and Sarah headed for the bathroom to change, leaving Annie the privacy for her to do the same. She slipped into a comfortable pair of gray sweatpants and a big, old t-shirt, and settled into her creaky, old bed with her current book- Watership Down, which her father had suggested. She, like him, read avidly. Sarah opened the door, dressed in ivory silk pajamas, and got into her own bed, with her own book- 101 Useless but Fun Crafts. That was just like Sarah- she loved to do things with her hands. She'd made her share of crochet scarves, baked sugar cookies, and lots else- but she never got bored with it. There was a soft knock on the door, and Sarah dropped her book to open it. Juliet stood outside in her own pajamas and a house-robe. "Lights out, girls." She said, smiling. Annie felt sure that if she had a second mom, it was Juliet Sheppard- she felt like family here. Sarah nodded, closed the door and the lights. Annie dropped her book by the edge of the bed. "G'night, Sarah." She said with a huge yawn. "Goodnight, Annie." But the other girl was already sleeping, dreaming of the sea and rock-scrambling with a certain boy.


End file.
